I don't think I've ever made something that I'm totally satisfied with. That feeling of doubt, or wanting to do more, is my engine to move forward and make the next iteration.
A game's concept is one of its most important assets. I feel that we must aim to satisfy both beginners and experts, and that hasn't changed since I was making 'Kirby' games.
Providing accurate portrayals of characters is something I want to pay ample attention to.
I've never made a game for a high-definition platform. That's definitely something I'm interested in.
'Smash Bros.' features a slew of modes as well, but we didn't create them all under the idea that we want gamers to try every single one of them. I think it's just fine if gamers enjoy the aspects of the game they like. It's kind of a buffet-style approach.
Before there was even an official naming of the 3DS, or before it was even decided that there would be 3-D capabilities, Mr. Iwata had brought up the topic of a new portable gaming system, and with that, the request to create a new title for that system... The topic of Kid Icarus came up.
Game development is very difficult. Nobody sets out to create a game that's not fun. It's all of the challenges and difficulties that happen throughout development that determine whether a game is a failure or a success. I think playing those thousands of games is the single best and easiest way to learn from my predecessors.
I went out of my way to play games I didn't like or find interesting. Those ended up being a lot more informative for me. At home, I have literally thousands of games, and I think of them as pearls of wisdom from my predecessors.
In the arcades, when I was younger, there was a game called 'King of Fighters 95,' and I thought I was pretty good. I had a 50-strong win streak on 'Street Fighter 2' around that time.
In the past, I worked for HAL, and when working there, I had limitations and had restrictions on what I could create. They wanted me to make the next 'Smash Bros.' and the next 'Kirby,' and that wasn't the place for me.
We do various kinds of research during the planning stage. We consider the inclusion of characters that feature in games being developed at the same time, are highly requested by users, and are popular within their series. We then think about how they could be unique if they were to appear in 'Super Smash Bros.'
If 'Smash Bros.' were set up to appeal to experts too much and became something like a modern fighter, I think that would raise serious questions about the game's future.